


Ink

by miss_grey



Series: What We Do In The Dark [46]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: M/M, Magical Tattoos, Tattoos, hunter dick winters, it's witchcraft y'all, protective dick winters, protective eugene roe, vampire nix, witch gene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21618916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_grey/pseuds/miss_grey
Summary: Dick had never imagined that someday, he would find himself seated next to a witch in a tattoo parlor, preparing to have a permanent mark inked into his skin.
Relationships: Eugene Roe & Lewis Nixon, Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters, Richard Winteres & Eugene Roe
Series: What We Do In The Dark [46]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1366063
Comments: 16
Kudos: 60





	Ink

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy.

Dick had never imagined that someday, he would find himself seated next to a witch in a tattoo parlor, preparing to have a permanent mark inked into his skin.

It wasn’t like he’d imagined: he’d pictured a dark, dirty room in the back of a run-down building somewhere in a shady part of town, with bald-headed, tattooed biker types using unsanitary needles to work gang symbols into their clientele. He knew the stereotype was ridiculous, but growing up, he’d never wanted a tattoo, and that was the sort of place he’d been led to believe existed. His community had drilled home the idea that only criminal and oddball types tattooed themselves. 

It wasn’t like he’d imagined.

The shop, _Ebony Rose_ , sat on one of the main streets downtown, with a bright, cheery front that looked out on a row of other picturesque storefronts: bookstores, a café, a vegan restaurant. A young woman with dark skin and darker eyes was manning the shop with a guy whose hair was dyed blue and who had piercings in his lip and eyebrow. The place was brightly lit and sterile—the needles were neatly packaged and the woman, Izzie, wore gloves as she prepared to do the work. 

She was friendly, and explained the process and what Dick should expect as she traced the star and flame design onto his chest with a compliment for the line work that Gene had drawn up. Dick was going first, they’d decided, after she’d placed the stencils on Gene, too. She smiled as she pulled her stool up closer to Dick’s body. “First one, huh? Matching your friend, there, too. That’s special.”

Dick glanced over at Gene, where the other man was watching closely, a hint of amusement flickering through his otherwise intense eyes. His lips quirked a smile and Dick huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, pretty special.”

“The first one’s always the hardest, but then you’ll probably be back for more. They’re addicting, aren’t they, sweetheart?” She called over to Gene.

Gene smiled stiffly and nodded.

Refocusing her attention on Dick, she said: “Alright, hun, remember what I said—it’s gonna feel like a pinch, but I need you to stay still, okay? It’ll only hurt for a couple minutes, then it’ll mostly go numb and you’ll just feel the buzzing. You ready?” 

“Yeah,” Dick said, gritting his teeth slightly against the anticipation of pain. “I’m ready.”

As the needle made first contact with his pale, freckled skin, Dick thought back to the awkward conversation of earlier that morning.

* * *

_Nix stared at him from where he perched at the kitchen table, drinking another bottle of blood before he retired—the sun was already peeking over the horizon and, as per usual, he was pushing it. “You need me to do what?”_

_Dick huffed and ran a nervous hand through his hair. He cast his gaze sideways at Gene who seemed, for the moment at least, content to let Dick handle it. “Can you recommend any local tattoo shops?”_

_Nix flicked his slightly amused, very confused gaze from Dick to Gene, then back again. “What in the world do you want a tattoo shop for?”_

_Dick glanced across at Gene, prompting him, and Gene sighed, pulling the collar of his t-shirt aside so that Nix could see the mark on his chest. Dick knew it was instinct, knew it meant nothing, but he caught Nix wetting his lips and his eyes widening as he took in the pale, soft expanse of Gene’s neck. He felt a pang of…something, in his belly. Gene must’ve noticed as well, but he mercifully decided not to comment. “This one here will keep demons out. If Dick’s gonna be comin’ with to get Lipton back, he’s gonna need one too.”_

_“Whoa, wait, wait, wait.” Nix said, standing abruptly. “If Dick’s going—yes, yes, I know you are—if Dick’s going, then I am too. Do I need one of those?”_

_Gene sighed. “Thought about that, only…I think it might be a risk. Don’t really know what a vampire is, ya know…on the, uh…demonic scale, that is. Might hurt ya more than help.”_

_Dick frowned. “Can a demon even possess a vampire?”_

_Nix looked disturbed, suddenly, at not knowing the answer. “I don’t know. Never heard of it, though.”_

_“Well, better to stay on the safe side. If worse comes to worst, and a demon gives it a try, we’ll exorcize ya.”_

_Nix quirked a brow, unimpressed. “Exorcize me, huh?”_

_Gene shrugged. “If we need to.”_

_Nix sighed, long-suffering. “So Dick gets a tattoo. What else?”_

_“I’m gonna need some work done as well.”_

_“How long do you think it’ll take? If I can find you a place?”_

_“Couple hours, at least.”_

_“There’s another issue, Nix,” Dick said, shifting uneasily on his feet. “Gene said that sometimes, when you get a tattoo, you bleed.”_

_Nix’s eyes stayed focused on Dick, sharp now, intrigued, but mildly terrified. “You don’t say.” He dragged his eyes away and fixed them on Gene for a moment, before looking at Dick once more. “Well, I guess I’ll have to drink a lot as soon as I wake up.”_

_Dick frowned. “You’ll be okay?”_

_Now, finally, Nix smiled at him, perhaps just to calm him down. “For you, I will.”_

_It was amazing what Nix could do with a few minutes and a cell phone. Before the sun had even slanted in through the kitchen window, Nix had called around and secured them a discrete appointment at a safe, clean establishment in the nearby downtown. “Here,” he said, pulling out his wallet, “they only take cash.” He handed Dick a wad of money (which Dick protested against and tried to shove away, to no effect) then said “Alright, you two crazy kids have fun, but be safe. I’ve gotta go pass out, now.”_

* * *

Izzie was right. After the first couple minutes, the pain faded to a (strangely pleasant) buzz and a slight sting. In a crazy sort of way, he could almost understand why people might get addicted to this. Gene watched, strangely protective, while the work was done. 

After Dick’s shiny new tattoo was finished and bandaged, it was Gene’s turn.

Izzie maneuvered Gene to sit, straddling the chair so that she could scoot her stool right up to his back. “Comfortable, sweetheart?” She asked.

“’M fine,” Gene answered. “You can start.”

Dick watched, curiously, as Izzie began her work. Gene’s back, up until this point, had been a mostly blank canvas, with the exception of a couple errant curls from his ribcage tattoo that had twined around his side. Not anymore, though.

Izzie started with the center piece, at the top of the spine, just below the neck, because Gene insisted. It looked a lot like the tattoo that Dick had just gotten done—identical to the one on Gene’s own chest—but there were a couple differences. The first is that while the star ( _pentagram!_ ) was still ringed in fire, this time the flames burned inward instead of out. The second was that the black ink would be outlined in blue. Dick didn’t ask why the changes had been made, and Gene didn’t offer.

Gene sat, oddly relaxed, apparently unbothered by the pain, as Izzie applied her passion and skill to the needle. Slowly…slowly, the new marks appeared in Gene’s skin. Dick was impressed by how still Gene could be throughout the process. Occasionally, Izzie or her partner asked a question, which Gene would answer (they thought his existing artwork was beautiful and asked where he’d gotten it done—they were even more interested when he mentioned New Orleans), but for the most part, they allowed him to zone out. Maybe they thought he was meditating. Dick knew better. In the short time he’d known the witch, Dick had learned that the cool, calm look Gene currently wore meant he was thinking. And probably planning. He didn’t know whether to be comforted by that or not.

After she’d finished with the center piece, Izzie began inking the runes that she’d previously stenciled near the top of Gene’s shoulder blades. Dick didn’t know what the symbols meant, but as Izzie worked, Gene’s shoulders (held tightly since he’d known him) finally began to relax.

After his shoulders, she began with the ones down his spine.

It took a few hours, but by the time Izzie was done, Gene’s pale, previously unblemished skin was red and puffy, but decorated with ten new tattoos—the pentagram one in the middle, three runes on each side, and another three trailing a stark line down his spine. 

Using the cash that Nix has pressed into his hand, Dick made sure to tip Izzie well. “You two were absolute darlings, you make sure you come back for your next ones, huh?” She suggested, with a smile.

Dick nodded and promised that they would, and then he escorted Gene out of the shop.

* * *

As he settled behind the wheel of his Jeep, the tattoo gave a twinge and Dick shifted uncomfortably. Gene turned his intense focus on Dick and said “Here, let me.” He leaned across the seat and reached forward, but held his hand, hovering, above Dick’s body, until Dick gave a slight nod of assent. Gene’s palm was warm, even through the fabric of Dick’s shirt and the bandage, but when Gene closed his eyes and began to murmur, it grew even warmer and Dick felt a slight tingle in his skin. It only took a moment before Gene pulled back and settled into the passenger seat once more. “It should heal faster now. Won’t hurt as much and it’ll make things easier on Nix, I imagine.”

Dick regarded the witch softly, his chest still tingling warmly. “Thanks, Gene.” He murmured. It would’ve been easier to turn the key in the ignition and simply head back to Nix’s house, but he knew he wouldn’t get a better opportunity to ask the questions he needed to ask. He decided to start easy. “You still doing okay at the house…? You know…with Nix and stuff?”

Gene nodded but gazed out of the windshield as he did so. “He’s been very helpful.”

Dick smiled slightly. “I’m glad.” He drummed his hands on the wheel, nervously, working up to what he needed to ask next. “So. What’s the plan?”

Gene sighed, softly, but didn’t respond.

“Come on,” Dick prompted, “I know you’ve got one. I can see it in your eyes.”

Gene frowned. “You ain’t gonna like it.”

Dick tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Probably not. Tell me anyway.”

“The demons don’t plan to meet up with us for another three days, give or take. But we ain’t gonna wait. We know where they are, but they don’t know that.” Gene twisted his hands in his lap, but still refused to look at Dick as he continued. “Figured when we get there, you and Nix can get Edward and Lipton out.” He turned to Dick, finally, though it looked like it pained him to do it. “Think the two a’ you can handle that?”

Dick nodded solemnly. “Yeah, we can handle that.” He felt his heart rising into his throat, felt his own hands grow tense and sweaty. He didn’t want to ask the next question. His throat squeezed, but still he forced the words out. “What about you?”

Gene didn’t flinch from the question like Dick had. Instead, he met it head-on, his dark, stormy eyes fixed on Dick’s. “I’m gonna give the demon what it wants.”

**Author's Note:**

> Alright my lovely readers, remember that comments are love so let me know what you thought of the chapter. Also, feel free to come say hi on tumblr. I'm @realhunterswearplaid.


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